Ottawa ACORN Takes Back What’s Ours – Justice for Graham & Louis!
Posted October 13, 2022
Big thanks to all of the ACORN members, Joel Harden, and Ariel Troster for coming out to our Anti-Displacement Rally at 404 Elgin St. on October 11th. This quick hit was planned very quickly over thanksgiving weekend and brought out 21 people!
We rallied in front of 404 Elgin St. to protest against the illegal lockout of ACORN members by the landlord, Saikley Properties. Our members were barred from returning to their home of 40 years since June 19th, when there was a fire in the building. Their insurance which has been paying to rehouse them temporarily is running out at the end of the month while other tenants paying significantly higher rent than him have been allowed back into their apartments.
Saikley Properties is claiming that water damage sustained during the fire makes the unit unsafe for return; however, recent photos of the property show no such damage. The landlord offered $6000 if the tenants sign an N11, but when they turned it down Saikley’s replaced the locks, turned off hydro to the unit and threatened to remove their locker privileges.
We’re happy to say that all of this hard work paid off during the protest, as ACORN’s demands for an immediate end to the lockout and the restoration of hydro have been met. Graham and Louis arranged for a locksmith to come by to replace the locks and give them access to the unit and earlier today, October 12th, the hydro was restored to the unit after some press talked with the Superintendent of the building.
If you want to help Graham and Louis, or other tenants at 404 Elgin St. that are experiencing similar problems – check out our online action here.
